Menu

Monthly Archives: May 2013

Growing up, my parents were always introducing us to new and interesting foods. I had no idea that other kids my age weren’t eating sardines, shark, rattlesnake, beets, dates, and venison… We lived in a small town, however, and a lot of the more “exotic” foods were often less accessible to us.

One of the things that I remember my mother enjoying that wasn’t as hard to get was a plate full of radishes. She really liked the peppery little spring vegetable. I remember her slicing off the tops, dipping them in salt, and eating them like they were the best treat in the world. Wanting to enjoy the same things as my Mom, I often joined her, but sometimes found them to be too peppery for my sensitive little mouth.

I’ve since grown to enjoy heat in foods and often add radishes to my salads – although I rarely snack on them the way Mom still does. What I did find, however, is that those radish greens she used to cut off and toss are both edible and quite tasty!

You can drop the greens into soups as an added green element, but my favorite preparation of the greens is to create a pesto with them:

Radish Green Pesto

2 large handfuls of fresh radish leaves, stems removed (the leaves only stay fresh for a day or so)

1 ounce hard cheese (such as pecorino or parmesan), shaved or grated

1 ounce nuts, such as pistachios (what I use), almonds, or pinenuts (I’ve read that you should avoid walnuts but have never tried it myself)

1 clove garlic

2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more to add for the consistency you want

salt and pepper

Place everything in a food processor and process in short pulses until smooth; scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. This will produce a thick pesto. You can add more oil and pulse again to thin the consistency to what you prefer.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pack into an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator; use within a few days or freeze.

The Grand Opening of the East Nashville Farmers Market is Wednesday, May 8th at 3:30pm. The market will run every Wednesday from May-Oct. There will be a petting zoo, chef demonstration, children’s activities and free yoga at 5:00pm.

This year we have 30 vendors! Every vendor at the market is the person who grows the food, raises the animal, bakes the bread, makes the cheese, or creates the artisan craft. Talk to your farmers and get to know them. We invite you to ask questions and learn more about the local producers at our market. We are proud to be a producers-only market, and proud to once again offer EBT/SNAP benefits allowing everyone access to healthy food.

This marks the 7th year of the East Nashville Farmers market. We have grown from a few vendors selling outside the Turnip Truck, to a large farmers market offering a one-stop shopping venue. You can purchase your bread, meat, milk, cheese, produce and more and be assured that your purchases are supporting small family farms while giving back to your local economy and community.

If you have any questions about the market, the farmers, or how EBT works please visit us at the market information booth in the center of the market. We will see you Wednesday!